Freight-car door.



G. H. JUDIA.

FREIGHT GAR DOOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG. a, 1911.

l ,076,984. v Patented 0013. 28, 1913.

v ATTORNEY UNITED sTATps PATENT onirica.

GEORGE H. JUDIA, OF CISCO, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO W. P. PULLEY, F GISCU, TEXAS..

FREIGHT-CAR DOOR.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, GEORGE H. Junin, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cisco, in the county of Eastland and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Freight-Car Doors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in freight car doors. Vlts oblo ject is to provide a freight car door, equipped with a strong fastening means at `each side thereof that will furnish a powerful resistance to any unauthorized attempt to open the door without breaking the seal,

i or opening the lock, in case the latter' is employed.

Another object is to provide a freight car door which will form an unusually perfect closure, adapting it particularly for use upon refrigerator cars, and also upon cars containing inflammable or explosive mate rial.

The object more specifically stated is to provide a freight car door, slidably mounted, and adapted to assume a position when closed such that its outer surface will be flush with that of the car wall in which the door aperture is provided, powerful fastening means being provided to secure the door 30. to both door jambs, so las to effectually hold the door in its closed position.

Finally the object of the invention is to provide a freight car door, which will combine the advantageous features of a hinged door and a sliding door, forming a perfect closure, and strongly resisting all efforts to open the door except by the means provided for that purpose, and also to provide a door that'will be simple, efficient, and compara to tively inexpensive in construction.

1With these and various other objects in view, my invention has relation to certain novel features ofthe construction and opi eration, an example of which. is described in the following specification, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a view in side elevation, showing a portion of a freight car, equipped with a door embodying the improved features,

which constitute the present invention, the

`door being shown in its closed position.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the same, the section being taken upon the line -w of Fig. l looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 8, 1911.

Patented Oct. 28, 1913. Serial No. 643,029.

view taken upon the line Q/-y of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 isa detail side view of one of the brackets attached at the top of the door, carrying a rotatably mounted wheel adapted to run upon a suitable track. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the same. Fig. G is a detail front view of a vertically elongated socket, several of which are mounted in one of the door jambs to receive suitable pins carried by the door.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, wherein like numerals of reference designate similar parts in all the figures, the numeral l denotes the side wall of a freight car, 2 a door provided in said wall, and 3 70 thetwo door jamba, one of which is provided at each side of the door aperture.

As to the material and specific construction of the door 2, no limitations need be herein made, it being understood that these features must largely depend upon the par* ticular purpose for which the car is to he used. In referring to the door hereinafter, the end thereof which first approaches its door jamb in closing will be denoted as the 30 front end, and the other as the rear end.

At the top of the door are provided two upwardly projecting brackets l and 5, which may have the form in common use upon sliding doors to furnish a bearing for the wheels upon which the door travels. The wheels mounted in the brackets i and 5 are denoted by the numeral 6 and the spindles on which they are mounted by the numeral 7. The wheel 6 mounted in the bracket 5 is loose 90 upon its spindle, and said bracket is made sufficiently wide to permit a slight sliding displacement of the wheel 6 on said spindle. The wheels Grest upon a horizontal track 8, rigidly supported from the car walls by bolts or pins 9. This track extends rearwardly from a point just in front of the door aperture for a sufficient distance to permit the door to travel from its closed to its open position. or vice versa. The rear portion of the track 8, which supports the door when opened, is spaced sufficiently from the wall of the car to prevent friction between said wall and the door. The forward portion of the track, however, or lo that portion above the door aperture, is sloped gradually inwardq the forward end being secured directly upon the wall of the car. From the above description it will be apparent that the door in traveling from its u@ opened to its closed position, will gradually turn inward` so that the front end of the door will finally contact with the front jamb placed upon its spindle at the same time.V

Similarly, in the process of openingthe door, the rear end will first be outwardly displaced, and the door will then be manually impelled in a rearward direction upon its track, the front end being gradually swung outward until the door, in its opened position, becomes parallel to the side wall ofl the ear. A pair of bracket-s 10 are secured to the wall of the car beneath the rear end of the track 8, serving as stops to limi-t the rearward motion of the door, a-nd to prevent the wheels G from traveling beyond the rear end of t-he track 8. A pair of similar brackets 11 are provided adjacent to the lower edge of the door aperture for the purpose lOf guiding the door during its sliding displacement, and preventing the lower end thereof; from swinging outward to an unnecessary extent. A bar 12 rigidly secured to the lower extremity of the front jamb 8 has one of its ends slightly overhangin-g the door aperture, said end being curved slightly outward, and serving to guide the bottom por-. tion of the front end of the door when the latter is being closed.

A plurality of metallic sockets 13 extend horizontally into the front door jamb 3, the socket apertures being vertically elongated to a slight extent, as an allowance for pos. sible sagging of the door due to wear and use. A plurality of metallic pins 14, project-ing rigidly from the front end of the door, are adapted to enter the sockets 13 as the door comes into its closed position. The pins 14 are securely fastened to the door by being embedded in the front edge thereof for some distance and having pins or bolts passed through the door and through their rear ends. A pair of metallic bars 15 are vertically mounted upon the door opposite to the pins 14, one upon the inside and one on the outside, serving to reinforce the door at these points.

Upon the rear door amb 3, adjacent to the door aperture, is mounted a vertical rockshaft 16, supported in bearings 1'7. The rock-shaft 16, after extending through the sill of the. door,y is provided with. a horizontal portion 18, the extremity-of which is turned downwardly, forming a handle. Ahorizontally elongated recess 19 is provided at the bottom yof the side wall 1, to receive the portion 18o-f the rock-shaft when said portion is projecting either forwardly or rearwardly,

t according as the door is closed or opened. A

vcomplished without difficulty.

plurality of short arms 2O of strong construction are rigidly mounted upon the rockshaft 16, parallel with the horizontal portion 18 thereof. Adjacent to the arms 20, recesses .21 are provided in the door 2 upon the front surface of the rear end thereof, said recesses being adapted to receive. the arms when the latter are projecting forwardly and the door is in its closed position. Similar recesses numbered 22 are provided in the rear door jamb to -receive the arms 2() when the rock-shaft has been rotated through one hundred and eighty degrees, and said arms are pointing rearwardly. The door cannot be opened until the rockshaft has been made to assume a position such that the parts 18 Yand 2O extend rearwardly.

In closing the door, aft-er it has reached the limi-t of its forward sliding displacement, the rock-shaft will be manually rotated through half a circle, causing the arms 20 to exert a strong pressure upon the outer surfac-e of the rear end of the door, so as to force said end into thevdoor aperture. The leverage afforded by the horizontal member 18 will be suicient to allow this lt0 be ac- It is apparent, therefore, that when the door is in its closed position, the arms 20 will be received by the recesses 21, .and will resist any effort to produce outward displacement of the rear end of the door withoutifirst rotating the rock-shaft. A plurality of small horizontal arms 23 are also rigidly mounted upon the rock-shaft 16, adjacent-tothe arms 20, and projecting oppositely from said arms. The small arms 23 serve to displace the rear end of the door outwardly; when itis desired to open the door. To accomplish this result, the rock-shaft lr6 is rot-ated through a half circle, the portion y1s8`thereof being displaced from its forward toitsrearward position. During such rotation, the arms 23 will contact with the inner surface 110 of the rear end of the door, forcing said end outward. After the rea-r end has thus been forced out, there will be no difficulty in subjecting the door to a rearward sliding displacement, so as to give access tothe car. 115 Recesses 24 are provided upon the inner surface of the rear end of theI door 2 to receive the arms 23, and similarl recessesl 25 are provided for the same purposel upony the inner surface of the rear door jamb 3.

At each end of the recess 19, vthere is provided, a small horizontal bracket 26, perpenenter o-ne of the apertures in the forward brackets 26 to prevent displacement of the member 18 when the door is closed. A seal 29 of the usual form may be employed to prevent removal of the pin 27. A handle 30 is provided to the door to facilitate opening and closing the same. It is obvious that a lock might be employed instead of the seal if desired.

The two most important features of the above described door are first the great strength and efficiency of the fastenings employed to prevent the door being unlawfully opened, and second the completeness of the closure formed. The latter' feature makes the door very suitable for shipping such material as cotton, since, when the door is closed, there is no crack or aperture through which sparks 4from the engine may enter the car.

It may be also noted that the above described invention may be readily applied to any of the old style freight cars now in use, by making a few slight changes in the construction of such cars adjacent to the door apertures. Metallic plates may be provided in all places subject to wear, as for example within the recesses 21, 22, 24, and 25, and also the recess 19.

Various changes might be made in the details of construction and proportions of parts of the above described invention without sacriiicing any advantages or departing from the spirit thereof, and the device is, therefore, presented as including all such changes and modifications as may be covered by the Vfollowing claim.

lVhat I claim is:

In a car operating apparatus, the com bination with a car and its door-way, of a door having recesses in its outer face and depressions in its inner face` and arranged to normally fit in the car door-way, the doorway of the oar having marginal recesses alining with the recesses of the outer face of the door and also having cavities alining with the depressions of the inner face of the door, a rock shaft mounted vertically in the wall of the car between the recessed edge portion of the door and the door-way, arms extending laterally from the shaft and normally lying in the recesses of the door and arranged to be swung by the shaft into the recesses of the car door-way, and lugs eX- tending from the shaft in opposed relation to the arms and normally lying in the cavities of the car door-way and arranged to be swung by the shaft into the depressions of the door.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE n. Junin.

Witnesses W. S. MICHAEL, Y ALPHUS MICHAEL.

Uopiel of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

